Pinpointing the exact cause of trouble in an electrical circuit is most times accomplished by the use of special test equipment. Jumper wires are simple, yet extremely valuable, pieces of test equipment. They are basically test wires which are used to bypass sections of a circuit.
Jumper wires are used primarily to actuate a portion of a circuit for the sake of testing, or to locate open electrical circuits, on either the negative or ground (−) side of the circuit or on the positive (+) side. For example, if an electrical component fails to operate, a technician would connect the jumper wire between the component and a good ground. If the component operates only with the jumper installed, the ground circuit is open. If the ground circuit is good, but the component does not operate, the circuit between the power feed and component may be open. By moving the jumper wire successively back from the component toward the power source, one can isolate the area of the circuit where the open is located. When the component stops functioning, or the power is cut off, the open is in the segment of wire between the jumper and the point previously tested. In addition, a certain component being tested might be connected to a timer or control circuit and will normally only actuate under certain conditions or at a certain time. To test that component, a jumper would be used to bypass the timer or control circuit.
Although jumper wires are a commonly used tool, there are many potential hazards associated with their use, such as accidentally causing a “dead short” or ground fault. Unfortunately, these electrical hazards often lead to serious injury from shock or even death. In cramped, hard-to-reach areas, it becomes especially difficult to test electrical components and the risk of electric shock becomes even greater.
There is therefore a need for jumper wires that incorporate a safety component to help protect people and equipment from short circuits or ground faults.
In the present disclosure, where a document, act or item of knowledge is referred to or discussed, this reference or discussion is not an admission that the document, act or item of knowledge or any combination thereof was at the priority date, publicly available, known to the public, part of common general knowledge or otherwise constitutes prior art under the applicable statutory provisions; or is known to be relevant to an attempt to solve any problem with which the present disclosure is concerned.
While certain aspects of conventional technologies have been discussed to facilitate the present disclosure, no technical aspects are disclaimed and it is contemplated that the claims may encompass one or more of the conventional technical aspects discussed herein.